Best Car Battery Chargers 2018 – Buyer’s Guide and Reviews

by Martin Martens | Last Updated Apr 29, 2018

I am sure you enjoy car rides and all the pleasure that is connected with them. Even before I have introduced you to some car related products such as car waxes or car speakers. Well, yet again this is a vehicle related item which may improve and ease your everyday life. This time I will show you 9 best car battery chargers currently available on the market.

Car maintenance should not only be focused on the exterior of your favorite vehicle, you should pay attention to its “organs” as well. One of them, and arguably maybe the most important one in nowadays cars is the car battery. Today’s cars rely more and more on electricity and the trend is supposed to intensify in the near future.

The typical car you drive every day has to use a considerable amount of electric energy and that means that the battery eventually powers down and gets juiced out. This happens also when you don’t use our car regularly. Is your primary reaction to purchase a new one straight away?

Don’t get too hasty!

You can take advantage of car battery chargers and re-charge your car, motorcycle, lawn mower or RV battery anywhere. It is simple as that.

When your battery runs out of juice because of long road trips, difficult conditions, non-regular usage or onboard software and hardware which is powered by it, just hook it up to the charger. It is true that batteries come with different voltages and preferences; however, most of these products are compatible with a vast range of battery-powered machines.

The Battery Tender Plus 021-0128 is one of the best car batteries on the marker right now for multiple reasons. First of all, its charging capabilities are quicker than 3a per charger. Today’s cars have many electronic features and gadgets installed in them and naturally they have to function from some sort of a power source. Correct!

It is your car battery which is being drained even when the car is not used. This battery charger is 50% more effective, together with the temperature compensation, than previous models and therefore, 50% quicker. In addition, after your battery is fully charged it goes into float charging mode.

It also contributes to the overall fitness of your battery and prolongs its life cycle. Reverse-polarity is also present for the sake of the user as well as the red and green light which indicate the status.

The NOCO Genius G3500 is mainly aimed at lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries and can charge them with a ratio of 120 amp-hour. This charger features a great speed and plus it repairs small damages which you may have on your car battery. It can be also used with hybrid vehicles of the start-stop system and CANBUS electrical systems.

Thanks to its user-friendly features this can, in fact, be labeled as a portable car battery charger. It has external access, rubber base which prevents physical damage to the charger or its movement and is water and UV-proof. You can let your battery charge overnight as well, since its activity is monitored, and the charger is equipped with a spark-proof technology and reverse polarity as well as protection from overcharge.

Furthermore, you have the LED indicators that show you the current progress of the charging process.

This particular charger is intended to be used on 6V and 12V car batteries and it is one of the best car battery chargers currently available. It was specifically designed mainly for, but not limited to, RV’s, antique cars, motorcycles, lawnmowers, and snowmobiles, just to name a few. There are several ways you can connect it to your car’s power juicer.

You can either use battery clips, O-ring terminals or a DC plug. Smart charging guarantees that the battery is charged optimally and does not get overcharged which is also supported by the fact that it charges to float mode monitoring after the charging part is finished. This means that this product also serves as a battery maintainer, but be careful don’t start your car while still plugged in!

One of the best Schumacher battery chargers is the one you are currently reading about. This charger is a 6V/12V 12 Amp automatic microprocessor which means that it can regulate the amount of amperage rate. You can even find a detection feature which by itself reveals if you have put the charger on a 6 or 12 V battery.

As far as protection is concerned the reverse hook-up is present as well as LED indicators. Plus, there is the float mode monitoring that serves as the green solution if you leave your battery on the charger for a longer time and if by any chance your battery gets low it reinitiates charging. This product can charge cars, trucks; RV’s and even some farm equipment.

In case of smaller batteries, a special Slow Charge mode is available.

The Battery Tender Junior is the next contestant on this list. This portable lightweight car battery charger has an output cord, sparks proof elements and is secured against reverse polarity. It is ideal for lead-acid, sealed maintained or flooded batteries and can give juice to a vast selection of battery dependent machines, equipment and vehicles.

It also features a 4-step program, to be more precise, the initialization, bulk charge, absorption mode and the float mode. The last one, as in the case of nearly all the entries, assures that the battery doesn’t overcharge and holds the voltage levels intact. The LED lights inform you about the state of the process. This product also comes with alligator clips and ring terminals which will make the installation and position much easier.

Car battery charger reviews often talk about several brands and Energizer is certainly one of them. This product is used for wet lead-acid and also automotive batteries of 6 and 12 V. It does not only charge them but can be described as a maintainer as well. Battery clips and O-ring terminals are included which enables an easier access and hooking-up.

The switch between the charging mode and the float mode monitoring is nowadays almost a must as well as the reverse polarity feature, and Energizer ENC2A doesn’t disappoint in this regard. In addition, it is equipped with a 7-step charging technology (diagnosis, pre-charge, soft start, constant current, constant voltage, resting, restoring) which spreads the process across several stages and assures that the battery doesn’t take in too much electricity at once.

This CTEK product is the best portable car battery charger they have put on the market yet. The special 4-step charging, with diagnostics included, guarantees that the lifetime of your battery remains prolonged for as much as possible. In terms of attributes, the charger has a no spark protection, is short-circuit proof and has also reverse polarity as well as water protection.

You don’t have to worry about waiting, just leave the battery on, because MULTI US 3300 is automatic. It is also customized for winter as it features the special cold mode. While developing this charger one of the main points of interest was diversity that is why you can charge any batteries with it even sulfated ones.

This car battery charger has a temperature sensor and is suitable for many battery types. This means that external factors will not affect the process, which is a terrific piece of information for those of you living in harsher condition throughout the year. You can use it for not only charging but also maintaining or recovering from your power source.

They can be flooded, sealed, maintenance-free, starter or deep-cycle batteries. The present operation ranges make sure that the charging is just right, not overcharged nor undercharged which ultimately expends the battery life for up to 4 years.

To use this charger properly you would probably need the Y-Connectors 210AY which are available.

Features

You can charge four batteries at the same time and they are getting the same amount of energy

Reverse polarity, short circuit and over temperature protection are the features which help to better, safer and energy friendly charging, moreover, it has an additional vale to prolong the life expectancy of your car battery

The last from the selection of the best car battery chargers available now is the Potek Battery Charger which was created to help your 12 V lead-acid, gel and AGM batteries. One of the advantages is the design on which a great deal of attention was put during the production. Even though, it has a manual charging possibility via the use of a button, you can also choose the optimal function which will automatically assess and select the best out of three charging rates.

You can monitor the condition by looking at the digital display. Safety measures are to be found as well, such as the floating mode, short circuit protection, overheat and over voltage protection and of course the reverse polarity indicator.

Features

The combination of high quality and compactness are convenient for every customer

Long lasting of batteries, i.e. it helps to extend their duration and also overall life expectancy

Modern materials and design

Cons

Lights on the front panel are not very visible during daylight

Smart charger has too many functions which are being regulated on their own which may lead to several problems rather than easing your charging

Car Battery Chargers Comparison Table

Product name

Product weight

Dimensions

Voltage (Output)

Amperage (Output)

Overcharge protection

Battery Tender Plus 021-0128

2.3 pounds

11 x 4 x 11 in

12V

1.25Amp

Yes

NOCO Genius G3500

2.1 pounds

7.7 x 2.7 x 1.9 in

6V/12V

3.5Amp

Yes

BLACK+ DECKER BM3B

1.4 pounds

5 x 3 x 9.8 in

6V/12V

1.5Amp

Yes

Schumacher SC-1200A-CA

1 pound

4 x 3 x 12 in

6V/12V

3/6/12Amp

Yes

Battery Tender Junior 021-0123

1.8 pounds

8 x 4 x 9 in

12V

0.75Amp

Yes

Energizer ENC2A

0.9 pounds

5 x 3 x 1.7 in

6/12V

2Amp

Yes

CTEK MULTI US 3300

1.5 pounds

6.5 x 2 x 1.5 in

12V

3.3Amp

Yes

BatteryMINDer 1510

1 pound

8.4 x 3.4 x 6.7 in

12V

1.5Amp

Yes

Potek Battery Charger

2.7 pounds

8.7 x 5.3 x 5.6 in

12V

2/10/20Amp

Yes

Best Car Battery Charger 2018 – Buyer’s Guide

Car batteries and batteries, in general, are almost permanent parts of our lives. Have you ever thought about the number of machines which operate thanks to these power cells? Of course, the big main idea which comes to mind at first is the before mentioned car batteries, but you can find various types of them in garden gear, numerous vehicles and products you use every day.

This review has been focused on the way how you can save money, energy and time. I have presented you 9 best car battery chargers which you can get hold off. The purchase of a new battery can be your last resort, once you have one of these.

They, not only give new energy and juice to your powered out battery, but also prolong their life, and that is mainly beneficial from the economic point of view. Another plus is the fact that you don’t have to be present next to the charger, or guard its recharging process because all of them have the float mode which is triggered after the charging is completed and protects battery performance as well as durability.

Nonetheless, there are several aspects which you should take into account when choosing your future car battery charger.

Battery type

First of all, you should be aware of the battery type your vehicle uses and select accordingly. You can have a lead-acid, wet lead-acid, lithium-ion, sealed, gel or AGM battery and not know it. This is a crucial piece of information which you need to find out as soon as possible. Even though, these chargers are primarily meant for car batteries, they can also be used on garden equipment, generator batteries and practically on every battery if they fit the requirements of the charger.

Safety system

Another important indicator is safety. And this should be even more emphasized when dealing with electricity, currents, and circuits. Fortunately, all of these products have the qualities of the best car battery chargers. They have reverse polarity so no accidents happen. In addition, some of these have short circuit protection which enables careless transport of electric energy and the current throughout the connection.

This feature also prevents, to a certain extent, malfunctions that may occur. Another popular alternation included heavily in this list is the creation of a spark-proof product. This means that you won’t see any signs of sparks during the charging process and therefore you don’t have to worry about any scenarios.

A nice touch, since thanks to their compactness, these chargers can be stored literally anywhere, and therefore, having it spark-proofed is an appreciated plus. Some manufacturers have even introduced waterproof products which can be handy in heavy weather conditions or during outdoor usage.

How to charge car battery

So there you have it all summed up in a couple of paragraphs. Feel free to cruise through them once again and choose the best car battery charger that fits your needs and requirements. Prolong the lifespan of your trusted electric companion and make your life easier with these little portables and compact products.

Martin Martens

I have graduated electronics and information systems at Ghent University. I like to learn new things in the field of technology and apply it in our household. I'm also a passionate traveler. Read more...